Hanging by a Thread
by The Red Fedora
Summary: Out of all the dangers she had managed to survive during her time with the Agency…bullets, speeding cars, rogue agents, the random explosion…Annie had never imagined that this might be how she would meet her end. Her body likely never to be found…just another unnamed star carved into a marble wall.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Not mine…if it was, this season wouldn't be nearly as frustrating._

_Author's Note: As no one has yet submitted a tale which travels along this particular line of thought, I felt compelled to write one. Isn't that what fan fiction is for? Spoilers for season three._

_Summary: Out of all the dangers she had managed to survive during her time with the Agency…bullets, speeding cars, rogue agents, the random explosion…Annie had never imagined that this might be how she would meet her end. Her body likely never to be found…just another unnamed star carved into a marble wall._

* * *

_You're just barely hanging by a thread,_

_You want to scream but you're down to your last breath_

_Lady Antebellum "One day you will"_

* * *

This was not the scenario Annie had imagined when she had accepted Simon's suggestion of a romantic getaway at his private chateau. In her experience, one did not bring along a private security contingent on a 'romantic weekend'. A few she could understand given the size of his 'chateau' and the nature of his work, however she had counted over twenty between the private airstrip and the lodge. Her danger sense had slipped into overdrive, but by the time her fears were confirmed, it was too late. Lena had been correct in her assessment; Simon did know who she truly was.

Her cover had been blown.

Her body trembled violently as the wind cut through her clothes as if they were delicate silk rather than knitted wool. Still they were more suited for lounging indoors by a warm fire, and not for fleeing for one's life through knee deep snow banks and thickly wooded forests. Her coat had been lost during her escape from the chateau, a fact which she greatly lamented. She had lost all feeling in her toes a few moments earlier, her suede boots nearly useless against the wet and cold. At least she had opted for flat heels instead of stilettos…thank heaven for small miracles…not that it would save her in the long run…

No, nothing could save her now…

Annie fell hard to her knees as the toe of her boot snagged against an exposed tree root, and the world tilted violently without warning. She emptied what was left of her dinner onto the snow as the nausea revolted in response to the sudden movement. A pained hiss slipped through tightly clenched teeth, and shaking hands rose to clutch her throbbing skull as she willed the world to stop its spinning. She lowered one hand dropped to probe the base of her neck, wincing as her fingertips brushed against the tender spot where Simon's needle had plunged into her skin. Sodium pentothal, he had said, a little something to help her with the truth as it seemed to be a concept she had trouble with. From the way her body was reacting, Annie was willing to bet the syringe had contained a little more than a simple truth serum.

She breathed deep, ignoring the urge to cough as the cold air scraped at her lungs. It was like inhaling glass shards; still it was better than the alternative. She struggled to her feet, forcing her battered body forward and deeper into the woods. She had to keep moving. The high pitched whine of a snow mobile echoed through the maze of pines, and a surge of adrenaline sent her heart racing as it was joined by another. They must have picked up her path, not that it would have been any great difficulty. Her eyes narrowed with determination as she drove deeper into the thick underbrush. She couldn't…no she _wouldn't_ let Simon catch her.

Sooner or later his men would have to forgo their search as the temperatures plunged well below freezing, and even the insulated layers of their high tech gear would be of little protection. They would find her eventually, she knew Simon wouldn't have it any other way, but she would be dead when they did. Death at the mercy of the cold seemed a welcomed alternative to a slow death at her ex's hand. At least her secrets would be safe…she owed them that much. She had let her need to prove herself cloud her judgment…blind her instincts…and now it was too late. There was no safety net. No backup. No extraction team. No one, other than Simon, even knew that she was here.

She was on her own.

A bullet whistled past her ear, striking the truck of the tree beside her and splintering the rough bark. The sharp shards sliced her blue-tinted skin; she ignored the sting as she dove behind the solid base of the pine. The move turned out to be a mistake as the soft snow gave way beneath her. She tumbled down the steep embankment, unable to slow her decent as the bottom of the deep ravine rushed up to meet her. Her landing was cushioned somewhat by the deep snow, but the force of the impact drove the breath from her lungs. Annie lay gasping, struggling to breathe let alone move. Darkness hedged at the edge of her mind, urging her to give in…to give up. She was so cold.

She never had liked the cold.

Shouts echoed from the cliff above her as shafts of bright light sliced through the dim twilight. She rolled to her side with no small effort and struggled to her feet, swaying like a drunken sailor as she moved forward. The light swept over the thick branches of the trees, which lined the ravine, and despite the danger she breathed a soft sigh of relief. The depression she had left behind in the snow bank was safely shielded beneath the thick pine boughs and away from prying eyes. The embankment was steep, very steep, and unless her pursuers had repelling gear, there was no way they would be able to follow her.

Annie pressed closer to the base of the hillside, keeping beneath the thick protection afforded by the trees as she made her way along the ravine floor and further from the shouts of the men above her. The pain returned as the adrenaline began to wane and the magnitude of her situation returned. Out of all the dangers she had managed to survive during her time with the Agency…bullets, speeding cars, rogue agents, the random explosion…she had never imagined that this might be how she would meet her end: freezing to death in an unnamed patch of wilderness buried deep within the heart of the Swiss Alps. Her body likely never to be found…

Just another unnamed star carved into a marble wall…like Jai.

She wondered what reason they would give her sister for her death. Another rock climbing mishap like Jai's? Or perhaps something more mundane, like a traffic accent on I-95. After all those happened nearly every day…didn't they? Tears pooled in her dark eyes, and she blinked them back. They would only freeze and she was cold enough. She should have listened, should have given up when she'd had the chance. She knew now that what she had taken as criticism had been sound advice from people who cared…Joan…Auggie…even Eyal. She prayed that they would forgive her…perhaps someday…especially Danielle…

The tears began to spill as she lost her fragile control. She fell to her knees, curling against the snow covered base of a tree as her body gave out. The cold of the snow felt oddly soothing against her throbbing head, cushioning her like a down blanket. She was tired…so very tired. Her eyes drifted close, and this time she let them as she focused her thoughts on her sister and her nieces…on her friends…on Auggie. A warming numbness pooled through her, easing her pain and soothing her mind. Sleep…yes, that is what she needed.

But alas it was not meant to be…

A bright light sliced through her closed eyelids and a sluggish surge of fear shot through her as she felt a warm hand settled against her throat without warning. Her brow wrinkled in confusion as something very large and warm settled over her, blocking the icy bite of the wind. She opened her eyes a slit, fearful of what she might find. The confusion only increased as they widened and she blinked owlishly as she took in the familiar features of the man looming above her.

"Am I dead?" she rasped faintly.

White teeth flashed against caramel colored skin.

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Came the amused reply as he raised a hand to brush his ear. "This is Sheppard; I've located Bo Peep. On route to extraction point."

His arms swept her upward, cradling her protectively as he began to move forward. Her own moved sluggishly to wrap around his neck as reality set in. She slumped against him as she struggled to make sense of the situation. Perhaps she was hallucinating? If she was it was a good one… he felt so real beneath her hands and warm…and so alive. Questions spun through her exhausted mind...but she decided that they could wait for now.

"I've missed you, Jai."

His soft laugh swept over her like a healing balm, as did the sound of his strong heart beat beneath her ear, where it rested against his chest.

"I've missed you too."

* * *

_A/N_: _I may be wrong, but Jai's death seemed a little too convenient. Perhaps he is really under deep cover? Here's wishing because Annie is going to need someone to save her from the inevitable breakdown the writers are setting her up for. Thoughts?_


	2. Chapter 2

The timbers of the old hunting cabin creaked and groaned beneath the onslaught of the storm which raged just beyond its walls. The structure held strong as it had for many years past and would for many more to come. The wind moaned with a ferocity that made Annie shiver, despite the warmth of the thick wool blankets and that of the small fire, blazing cheerfully in the stone hearth. The storm was growing steadily worse, and while it prevented Simon's men from following them, it also prevented Jai's contacts from reaching them.

With one coat between them and the temperature steadily falling, Jai had made the decision to switch to plan B: find shelter and ride out the storm. The shelter was in the form of a small hunting cabin owned by a 'friend'. It seemed a bit convenient to Annie, particularly considering the fact that the land it was sitting on bordered Simon's and she wondered if this friend was a 'cousin' of a sort, a fellow spy. The cabin was small and cold, but well stocked with firewood and supplies.

Annie shifted closer to the fire, drawing the blankets closer as she did against the lingering chill. A wince slipped through her tightly clenched teeth at the movement. Now that the warmth was returning to her chilled body, she was beginning to feel the injuries she had sustained during her fight and mad flight. Her body felt like one big bruise. Her ribs ached dully in rhythm with the faint pounding in her skull. Her right knee was ached where it had struck the rock and her shoulder twinged with every miniscule movement she made. Still the pain meant that she was alive…

…because of Jai.

Her eyes slipped closed and after a moment she struggled to open them, afraid she might wake to find it had all been a dream, a hallucination as a result of Simon's drugs. That she was still a prisoner…and Jai was really dead. She watched the door for a moment longer before her eyes began to droop again. Between the warmth of the fire and the heavy drugs in her system, she was fighting a losing battle. The door to the cabin opened, ushering in a blast of cold air and snow, and Jai. He shouldered the door closed behind him with an effort, bolting out the cold night before stamping the snow from his boots and crossing the room to join her by the fire.

He dropped an arm full of wood into the wood box, then tugged off his coat and brushed the snow from his thick hair before crouching down to tend the fire. Annie watched him through hooded eyes as the light from the fire danced across his strong features, so familiar and yet strange somehow. A well trimmed scruff of beard lined his jaw, adding distinction to his features, making him look older…

…or perhaps it was his eyes that made him appear so.

There was a heaviness that had not been present in the Jai that she had known; a edge of darkness like a hardened shell, or a shield of a sort…and she wondered what had happened to cause it. She had seen that look before in Ben's eyes…and she wondered if her eyes held it as well. It made her sad to think so, but it was true. She felt jaded and hardened…and she found she longed to be happy but wasn't sure that she knew how to be so anymore.

She blinked hard at the spiral her thoughts were taking, and chocked it up to Simon's crazy strong truth serum. The truth hurt. Jai glanced her way and his eyes softened as he caught her staring. She saw a flicker of the old Jai, her Jai, as he smiled. She had missed his smile.

"You're meant to wear that, you know. It isn't doing you much good sitting on the floor."

On second thought, she hated that smile. It widened into a grin as she scowled at the offending pile of fabric on the ground beside her.

"It smells…like moth balls." She mumbled, her nose wrinkling in distaste.

His soft snort made her smile despite her annoyance. Annie pulled her blankets closer as she forced her smile into a frown in annoyance. She wasn't cold enough to desire to put up with the smell of old wool and moth balls. If he liked it so much, then he could wear it himself. Jai's soft laugh broke through her sluggish thoughts and she realized that she had spoken aloud…again. Apparently a side affect…

"Better moth balls than freezing to death." Jai stated as he set the poker aside and moved the battered old tea kettle from the warming rack to the table. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore." She remarked honestly as the fight drained from her. "and tired."

She watched as he poured the hot water into a pair of mugs, and her stomach growled as the smell of thick chocolate wafted through the room. He returned the kettle to the rack and squatted on his heels beside her.

"Think your stomach can handle this?" He asked quietly as he offered her the mug.

Annie considered the question tentatively, and found to her relief that the nausea had subsided. She nodded and slipped a hand from beneath the folds of the blanket. Jai placed the mug in her hand, steadying it, and she gave him a small smile of thanks as she slowly raised it to her lips. She winced as a sharp pain radiated through her arm, causing her to fumble the mug. Jai caught it before it could spill and set it on the ground beside them. He uttered a muffled oath. She looked up to find his eyes dark and hard, and she flinched as he reached a hand toward her. He paused at her reaction, and lowered his hand to his side, his eyes softening with an apology.

"May I?" He asked thickly, gesturing to her shoulder.

The blanket had slipped from her shoulder, exposing a well defined set of angry red bruises, most a result of her tumble down the side of the mountain…but not all. She cursed her weakened state mentally, wishing that she'd had the strength to put on the sweater before he had returned. Her pale camisole only served to accentuate the marks. Jai's hands were gentle as they examined her shoulder carefully, lingering below the finger shaped marks around her upper arm where Simon had grabbed her.

"He got a bloodied nose for his effort." She remarked quietly, desperate to counter the guilt she saw in his eyes.

Jai smiled faintly as he gently tucked the blankets around her. "Good." He replied quietly as he retrieved the mug and placed it in her good hand.

She settled her free hand over his, her eyes searching his face. "This wasn't your fault, Jai. If anyone's, it's mine. I'm the one who went in without backup. I would be dead if it wasn't for you."

He raised his eyes and smiled. "So that is another one you owe me, Walker."

Annie snorted and tugged the mug away as he stood. She ignored him playfully as she slipped her feet from beneath the shelter of the blanket and closer to the heat radiating from the fire. Her skin was red and it tingled as if a mild electric current ran through it, but there seemed to be no sign of frost bite. Her eyes shifted to the pile of ruined suede in a nearby corner, her boots were a lost cause. Pity, she had loved those boots.

"I'll get you another pair when we get back to D.C." Jai remarked quietly as he settled onto the stone floor beside her.

"Does that mean you are coming back?" she asked quietly.

Jai pulled her feet onto his lap, and she winced as her warmed skin brushed the cold that still clung to his clothes. His hands were warm and his touch gentle as he examined her skin.

"Perhaps."

She shivered as he brushed the tip of his forefinger along the arch of her foot. He grinned before reaching over and retrieving a pair of thick wool stocks from the pile beside her. He gently placed them on her feet before tucking them beneath her blanket with a gentle care that made her feel safe….

… and she had not felt safe for so long.

"Jai, what happened?" she asked quietly. "At the dinner, I mean. I thought you died."

The humor drained from his eyes and he shifted his gaze toward the fire as he retrieved his mug. The room was quiet for a long moment, apart from the crackling of the fire and the moan of the wind.

"It all began a bit further back. My promotion, the projects…it was all a setup. A deep cover mission." He began quietly. "There is a mole in the Agency. My job was to unearth and expose them, but I got to cocky and they caught on to me first. A few attempts were made against my life, and so it was decided that I would fake my death and go into deep cover." His jaw tightened. "I needed a witness."

The pain washed fresh through Annie at his words. "So you chose me?"

Jai flinched at the pain in her voice. He turned toward her, his dark eyes sorrowful. "I didn't want to, Annie. I didn't even know what they planned to do until a saw the bomb, by then it was too late."

"But I was right behind you, if I hadn't forgotten my umbrella…"

Jai shook his head again. "The waitress was one of us, Annie. If you hadn't left the umbrella she would have found something to delay you. We knew Simon was the key to finding the mole, so I went in as a member of his security team. The second part of the plan an even bigger risk. I fought against it, but in the end it was Arthur's decision. You were reassigned to Lena's department. She had been watching you for some time, but Arthur had declined her previous request to transfer you."

Annie lowered the mug to her lap, her hands clenched tightly around it as she considered his words. A bitter taste settled in her mouth as the pieces began to fall into place.

"Lena is the mole?"

Jai nodded.

"But it was her idea for me to get involved with Simon. She encouraged me to start a relationship with him…to gain his trust…" Her voice slipped to a whisper as she reconsidered the events of the past couple months from a new angle. "I fell for him, Jai. I thought I was in love with him." She whispered, her eyes dropping as shame and hurt. Her vision blurred and she felt cold and tired. "They used me."

"I know."

Jai settled beside her and gathered her into his arms, blanket, mug and all. She turned her face into his chest, ignoring the pain in her shoulder as she battled for control over her fragile emotions. Darn truth serum.

"She set me up." Annie growled with a sob, as she fisted a hand against his sweater.

"Yes." He offered.

His arms were strong and comforting as if they could shield her from the pain that threatened to undo her…and for the moment she let them, pressing her face into his chest as the tears began to flow. She was so tired…

"I'm sorry, Annie." She heard him whisper softly. "I'm so sorry."

She closed her eyes as she melted against him, strength fading fast. "Don't leave me again."

"I won't, I promise. Rest, Annie." She felt his lips brush her hair as he cradled her closer. "I'll get you home safe."

She smiled at his words, despite her tears, as the comforting blackness swirled up to meet her.

"You always do."

* * *

_A/N: forgive the delay. Hope that you enjoyed it. Loved Jai – glad he was acknowledge as a hero, though I wish they hadn't killed him off. One final tag to come in the future – Merry Christmas for now_


	3. Chapter 3

The sound of soft voices drew Annie from the first fitful sleep she had managed without the aid of drugs, consensual or otherwise, in days. She lay still for a long moment, allowing her aching body the luxury of a few last moments of rest. It was uncertain how long it would be until she would be able to sleep again. It was likely that she would be collected and shut up in a windowless room for debriefing as soon as she landed in Virginia. While she hadn't gone rogue, she had broken one of the cardinal rules of the Agency – always let someone know where you are. At least the general area – particularly if out of country. Under Lena's 'supervision' she'd become too accustom to relaxed rules and greater leeway…and in the long run her resulting carelessness had nearly gotten her killed.

Not to mention that it had blown Jai's cover.

Her mouth twitched into a small smile. Honestly, she wasn't too terribly sorry that it had. At least now she knew the truth. The plane banked beneath her as it began the decent into Dulles International, and she winced as the movement jarred her bruised shoulder. She opened her eyes reluctantly and slowly straightened against the plush cushions of her chair, carefully assessing each limb as she did. She'd been through worse but it didn't make it ache any less.

"We will be landing shortly, Ms. Walker. Is there anything I can get you?"

_A good alias and a ticket to South America?_

Annie looked up at the attendant standing at her elbow and gave the woman a weary smile.

"A bottle of water would be wonderful, thank you."

She relaxed back against the chair and shifted her gaze out into the darkness beyond tempered glass of the window. Lights gleamed in the distance, like small islands in a sea of ink. Somewhere among those pinpricks her future was being decided…and she found that she really didn't care much what the outcome was at the moment. Besides, they had bigger things to worry about than her jaunt to Switzerland. The agency was in the midst of a quiet uproar. Lena had vanished. Intel suspected that she was headed for Russia…

…or so Jai had told her in Germany.

_Jai_

Despite her hectic escape from the chateau and the unexpected onslaught of the storm, the remainder of the impromptu rescue had gone surprisingly smoothly. The storm had let up near dawn, allowing Jai's contacts to get through to them with the promised helicopter. There had been no sign of Simon or his men. The chopper had taken them as far as a U.S. Air Base in Germany, where at Jai's insistence she was admitted to the clinic to have her injuries properly examined while he secured a flight home. When she had returned two planes were waiting. One look at his face, and the bag in his hand, had confirmed what she already knew.

"_You're not coming back with me, are you?"_

He'd been ordered to pick up Lena's trail and attempt to capture her – alive, though his expression suggested that he hoped he'd find her otherwise. Before he'd left, Jai had presented her with a gift. A small bittersweet smile tugged at her lips as she glanced down at her feet – and her new fleece lined leather snow boots.

"_Not quite as fancy as your useless pair, but these should keep your feet warm and dry should you ever get the urge to go hiking through the snow again."_

If not for his gift, she might have easily managed to convince herself that Jai had been the product of a hallucination. The official cover story was that she had escaped Simon's chateau and had stumbled upon the cabin, where she had managed to find a radio and call for help. Officially Jai Wilcox was a star on a marble wall. Unofficially…the knowledge that Jai still lived was the one bright spot in a truly wretched year, a soothing balm that helped to lessen the impact of Lena's betrayal.

A bottle of water appeared on the small table beside her, and she smiled her thanks and fished a pack of pain pills from the pocket of the oversized ski coat Jai had insisted she keep. At least it didn't smell like moth balls…though it held the scent of wood smoke and snow and something uniquely Jai. She found it warm and comforting…and safe…like in the old days when he had always managed to appear in the nick of time with a way out.

She let her eyes drift close and, for a moment, she was back on the tarmac in Germany.

"_Will I see you again?"_

He had laughed and tugged her into his arms one last time, hugging her tight.

"_With the way you attract trouble, it's only a matter of time. Be safe, Walker." _

The plane jolted gently and she opened her eyes with a small start to find they had landed. A dark SUV was waiting as they taxied up to the private hanger. Annie braced herself as she stood and made her way to meet it. The tension left her body in a rush as the rear door opened and a familiar figure stepped out.

"Auggie."

She stepped into open his arms, biting back a wince as he hugged her with a ferocity that left her breathless.

"Miss me?" she asked.

"Yeah." He muttered against her hair. "Don't you _ever_ do that again."

"No argument here."

She'd missed him…and she'd missed her team.

Jai's parting words lingered at the back of her mind.

"_It's not going to be easy and things will never be the same as they once were, but don't give up. Don't make the same mistake I did, Annie. You need them as much as they need you."_

The path before her was not going to be an easy one. There were bridges that she had burned that would need to be rebuilt…and trust that would have to be re-earned – on both sides. No, it wouldn't be easy.

But then again, was anything worth doing ever easy?

_But down the road the sun is shining_

_and every cloud has a silver lining. _

_Just keep holding on._

* * *

_A/N: Hope you enjoyed this little tale. Will be interesting to see where the next season takes Annie. Thanks for reading.__ Until next time, fellow fans. - Red_


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